Гундяев, Владимир Михайлович

1. Entity type Person
2. Name in other language Gundyayev, Vladimir Mikhailovich (en)
3. Birth date 1946
4. Gender Name Male
5. Biographical Data

   1. Kirill or Cyril (secular name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, born 20 November 1946) is a Russian Orthodox bishop. He became Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' and Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church on 1 February 2009. Prior to becoming Patriarch, Kirill was Archbishop (later Metropolitan) of Smolensk and Kaliningrad beginning on 26 December 1984, and also Chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church's Department for External Church Relations and a permanent member of the Holy Synod beginning in 1989. In cultural and social affairs the Church under Kirill has collaborated closely with the Russian state under President Vladimir Putin.